Improvement in oscillating valves for steam-engines



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WILLIAM B. KENNEDY.

Improvement in Oscillating Vaives for Steam-Engines.

No, 127,069. Patented May 21,1872.

$5 M? p 0 n i i v 2Sheets--Sheef 2'- WILLIAM B. KENNEDY.-

Improvement in OscillatingVaIves for Steam-Engines.f No. 127,069Patent-ed May 21,1l872.

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Attorneys.

WILLIAM BROSTER KENNEDY OF LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY.

IMPROVEMENT IN OSCILLATING VALVES FOR STEAM-ENGINES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 127,069, dated May 21,1872.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WM. BROSTER KENNE- DY, of Louisville, in the countyof Jefferson and in the State of Kentucky, have invented certain new anduseful Improvements in Steam- Engines; and do hereby declare that thefollowing is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, referencebeing had to the accompanying drawing and to the letters of referencemarked thereon making a part of this specification.

My invention relates particularly to that class of steam-engines havingoscillating valves working in a cylindrical steam-chest, the axis ofwhich is at a right angle to the axis of the cylinder proper of theengine; and the nature of my invention consists in the construction andarrangement of the oscillating valve and steam-chest, as will behereinafter more fully set forth.

In order to enable others skilled in the art to which my inventionappertains to make and use the same, I will now proceed to describe itsconstruction and operation, referring to the annexed drawing, in which-Figure 1 is a side view of the cylinder and steam-chest; Fig. 2 is alongitudinal section of the cylinder with cross-section of the chest;Fig. 3 is a cross-section of the cylinder with longitudinal section ofthe chest; Figs. 4, 5, and 6 are enlarged views of the oscillating valveand Fig. 7 shows a modification of the means for adjusting the valve.

Arepresents the cylinder proper of the steamengine, which varies in noessential feature from those in general use. B is the steamchest, whichmay be cast on or bolted to the cylinder A, and is bored larger at oneend than at the other, forming a conical opening or bore. Thissteam-chest is provided with a casing, G, leaving a steam-passage, a,between them, allowing the steam to envelop the steam-chest The steam inthe passage a being direct from the boiler prevents, in a great measure,

. any unequal expansion between the steamchest B and the valve'D. Thevalve D is made cylindrical and in conical form, with one or more headsor diaphragins, b, which are perforated with any suitable number ofholes or openings, d d, to admit the steam at both or eitherends of thevalve, and thus preserve the equilibrium.

The ports 0 e in the valve I are made by drilling a series of holes tocorrespond with the ports ff in the steam-chest! The exhaust-port hiscast in the valve, with the supply-ports 0 con each side thereof.Drilling these supply-ports in the valve is for the purpose of retainingsome metal in the continuation of the cylindrical form, to protect thevalve from expanding otherwise than cylindrical, and strengthen it atthe same time. To insure as nearly a practically balanced valve as canbe obtained, a series of holes, 6 e, may be drilled in the upper portionof the valve to compensate for the ports 0 e, the number of which holesmined by practice.

When the engine is new the largest end of the valve D would be close toor near the head E at the largest end of the steam-chest; and should thevalve wear so as to permit steam to pass between the outer surface ofthe valve and the inner surface of the steam-chest, setscrews G G areprovided to adjust the valve in the proper place in the steam-chest, sothat any variation in the expansion of the valve and that of thesteam-chest can be adjusted to a nicety in practice.

The heads E E of the steam-chest have each an arch, H, cast upon it,through which arches the set-screws G G pass, a thread be ing cut in thearches to correspond with the thread of the screws, or in any othermanner to produce the same efl'ect mechanically.

In Fig. 7 I have shown a device as a substitute for the set-screws G G.I represents the valve-spindle, which, in this case, is made long enoughto reach through the arches or outer bearings of the steam-chest coversfar enough to receive the sleeve-nut J, and enough longer to move in thedirection of its axis to either end of the steam-chest. The sleeve-nut Jhas a thread cut inside to correspond with a thread cut on the spindleof the valve, and the nut is turned outside asufficient portion of itslength to pass through a hole in the center of the arch, and a fractionlonger than the distance through the arch. A nut, K, is screwed onto thevalve-spindle inside the arch. The sleevenut J is screwed on thevalve-spindle until its (the nuts) hexagon collar comes against theouter face of the arch. The nut K is then screwed up hard against theinner end of the sleeve J, thereby binding the two nuts tightly 0 willhave to be detertogether, and yet leaving the valve andnuts free torevolve in the arch of the steam-chest head; or, in other words, thesleeve-nut forms a good substantial journal instead of the point of theset-screw in the end of the spindle, as above described. L representsthe ordinary lever for operating oscillating valves.

The steam-cylinder, steam-chest, and casin g, with the steam passagearound the chest, may all be cast at once.

When the valve covers either of the ends of the steam-passage a, Fig. 3,the steam passes into the end of the valve through the openings d d inone or the'other end of the.

valve, keeping the pressure always inside the cylinder of the valve, andacting radially on the same, and not in a direction of the ports in thecylinder proper.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, anddesire to secure by Letters Patent, is-- 1. In an oscillatingcylindrical valve, D, a series of holes, 0 6, made in the side oppositeto the steam-ports e e, substantially as and for the purposes herein setforth.

2. The cylindrical conical-shaped valve D, provided with one or moreperforated diaphragms, b, and ports 0 e, e, and h, the ports 0 e and 0each consisting of a series of drilledholes,

all substantially as and for the purposes herein set forth.

3. The combination of the steam-chest B, casing O, steam-passage a,valve D, with diaphragrns b and ports 0 e h, arches H, valvespindle I,and nuts J K or their equivalents, all constructed and arranged tooperate substantially as and for the purposes herein set forth.

In testimony that I claim the have hereunto set my hand this March,1872.

foregoing I 9th day of WM. Bnosrnn KENNEDY.

Witnesses MIBABEAU N. LYNN, W. B. RIGHARDSON.

